Letters to the Editor Thursday

I read with interest the article published Aug. 19 concerning Mr. Frank Blount’s quixotic battle with blight in his Avondale neighborhood.

As the former associate city attorney, I know the city shares his frustration:

The City of Savannah has been functionally put out of the blight eradication business by legislation enacted in reaction to a U.S. Supreme Court case that dangerously expanded the state’s permissible use of condemnation through eminent domain.

The unintended consequence of reining in this governmental power was the virtual elimination of one of its virtuous uses: The eradication of blight through condemnation.

To fill that void and reduce blight and its consequences, a colleague and I have formed a non-profit corporation called The Revitalization Project.

TRP will reduce blight by acquiring and deconstructing blighted and abandoned, commercially unviable buildings and eliminate the associated litter, crime and drug use.

We will replace them with uses of land that are positive and contribute to community growth and stability, such as parks and green space, community gardens and art installations, before reintegrating the properties back into the community with owner-occupied buildings that match the properties’ original, productive uses.

Code enforcement is needed, but neighborhoods will not be improved by issuing a ticket to an abandoned building. A new model is needed to clean up Savannah’s blight.

TRP will provide a non-governmental solution to this public problem. With the help of the community and its leaders, we are confident we can redress Mr. Blount’s concerns and those of his neighbors throughout the city. We welcome your help.

PETER A. GIUSTI

Savannah

We’re being proactive, not blaming victims

Please allow me to clarify something that several folks might have misconstrued about the “Lock it or Lose it” campaign that we initiated in Kensington Park.

I’ve heard one or two concerns about why we are blaming the victims and not the criminals. Blaming the victim isn’t the intent; reminding neighbors to be proactive is.

Don’t invite crime by leaving your car unlocked or valuables inside. We also advise our community to keep yard tools and bikes put away and houses locked and porch lights on at night.

We insist on following city ordinances regarding property maintenance, which eliminates blight, which in turn reduces crime.

So far it is working; we went from five-plus car break-ins a week to none. As for the signs saying SCMPD on them, our neighborhood association paid for those signs because the city doesn’t have the funding.

However, those signs cost $300. We knew that some neighborhoods with active associations wouldn’t be able to afford something similar, so we chose to print the signs without our neighborhood name on them so that we could “pay it forward” by donating them to a community that was experiencing the same kind of crimes we are, but perhaps doesn’t have those resources to spend.

That’s what community is about.

PAM MILLER

President

Kensington Park Community Association

Savannah

Focus on UGA football, not player’s new baby

Sadly, the sports section of the Savannah Morning News seems to encourage out-of-wedlock parenting by congratulating the University of Georgia player Kenarious Gates and girlfriend on the birth of their new baby.

Is there not some other attribute this athlete may have besides procreation?

KARL KING

Savannah

Give Republicans credit for ending segregation

With reference to your Aug. 18, article entitled, “50 Years Later,” I read the article in its entirety, not because I am of the white race, but to see how accurate a presentation was made.

The article was well-written. But, from my perspective it left out a very important item.

The Republican Party that was in power then faced fierce condemnation and pressure from the Democratic Party, which wished to have the black community remain in submission. The GOP was the party that passed the law desegregating the black community, making them full-fledged citizens of the United States.

The article also does not contain any reference to the black community showing any form of gratitude to the Republican Party for making them free citizens. Instead, for some strange reason, the black community has embraced the Democratic Party wholeheartedly.

The only explanation that I can come up with why the black community has sided with the Democrats is because the Democrats pander to them. So if someone is giving you goodies, you embrace them and do not bite the hand that feeds you.

CHRIS SCUMAS

Savannah

A tale of two Savannahs leaves reader stunned

Once again I am stunned reading in two items in your newspaper about the two sides of Savannah.

The first article talked about the Chatham Area Transit and a plan for a new tax (TAD), which would “punish” investors who revitalize parts of the rundown area in Savannah by adding a special tax on top of existing taxes, in order to build a streetcar line to ferry tourists around.

The city remarks that “tourists love it and it is a proven winner” in cities like New Orleans. But they forget that the streetcar system there has been an established form of transportation since 1893 that runs a nearly 23-mile network. It is not a tourist gimmick.

I am also reading your editorial about the taxpaying “warriors” in east, west and southside neighborhoods, who beg for city support to enforce citations for blight, littering, crime prevention, basic city services such as maintenance of properties owned by the city and enforcement for negligence by bad landlords.

Maybe the city needs to start enforcing and as well collecting money from the bad guys and put the funds back to where it is needed; once again, Savannah does not end in the downtown Historic District and taxpayers will remember these so-called priorities when it comes to the next elections.

This goes for Chatham County as well, as the same applies for county services.

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Right now there are 34 States where you can earn more collecting welfare and food stamps than working!!! What is the incentive to work when you can earn more money staying home? Something is wrong with this picture....can't you see it??? We need to change what is happening in this country politically!!! We need to vote the leftists/ liberal democrats out of office. We need to vote the turncoat republicans out of office, like Mc Cain and Lindsey Graham!!! Lindsey Graham is up for re election next year....remember to get him out ....he is a RINO and a traitor!!! They have been in office toooooo long! They are perverted and the money and power have gone to their heads! Remember these 2 voted to add 30 million to the work registry to eliminate American jobs!

Vote to defund Obamacare because this will bankrupt this country and your food stamp card won't be able to buy beans!!! Even when it gets passed, if it does there will still be 45 million people who won't get insurance! What a joke!!!!!